Filling The Void
by Mist on the Glass
Summary: Soul mate. A lover, friend, Sasuke doesn't care. All he knows is he needs one. Education over, what's a genius to do next? Our favourite raven stumbles across an old friend, but he is everything Sasuke hates, so why is he so drawn to him?
1. Chapter 1

Heh heh heh... *sheepish grin*

Okay, okay, I give! I couldn't resist!

I know I said I was going to finish Vicissitude, THEN write other stuff, but I can't.

So I'm weak. SUE ME!!

Although I should warn you, updates will be few and far between.

YEAR ELEVEN SUCKS BALLS!

Anywho, on with...*drumroll*...

'Filling the Void'

Enjoy!

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Sasuke Uchiha's favoured pastime had always been getting up high. He sat on top of multi-storey car parks, he climbed the school, the library, name any large building - Sasuke had scaled it.

At the present, Sasuke was perched on the roof of his house, too tired to do any full-throttle climbing, the type that involved stealing janitor's keys, sneaking around, waiting in the shadows with his heart in his mouth.

He lay back on the flat roof, looking at the pale beginning of the would-be full moon. A couple more hours and the silver orb would loom in the sky, a tribute to insomniacs worldwide. If an insomniac isn't getting drunk or cramming in any unfinished work during his unwanted conscious hours, then you can bet he's looking at the moon. (1)

The boy genius (aged seventeen - who strongly objected to being called 'boy') had always loved a challenge, having taken his GCSEs a the tender age of thirteen, receiving A*s in all of them, then moving swiftly on to college and University, finishing his degree the day after his seventeenth birthday. The question had just arisen: _Now what?_

Sasuke had no family or loved ones to fall back on - this being the primary reason to getting his education out of the way as quickly as possible. There was no-one.

He wanted to find someone.

Someone he could rely on; someone who could rely on him. A friend, a lover; Sasuke didn't care. He sought company. _Someone who understands me. A soul mate._

He couldn't do this if he was stuck in class with a bunch of teenagers whose mental ages were light-years behind his own, who have nothing better to do than smoke joints and angst about their shitty lives.

These people, in Sasuke's opinion, were the worst.

The lowest of the low.

Enter his secondary motive to getting out of education. To get away from _them._

However, Sasuke had one small problem.

One petite, pink-haired problem, who _refused_ to fade away, even when she wasn't wanted.

Sakura Haruno was a nuisance, but not a motive. Sasuke had a feeling that escaping the headlock known as education wouldn't stop Sakura.

Sasuke wondered if he would be attracted to Sakura had she approached him differently. If she hadn't confessed her love to him randomly, with nothing to back her advances up, would Sasuke have given her a chance?

If she didn't pester him whenever she came into contact with him, would he respond differently?

Sasuke knew that he could never love Sakura. But he did wonder whether he would, had he been less intelligent, and she more so.

Sasuke still doubted he could love someone like Sakura, even with the 'what ifs.'

Sakura seemed to be too gentle; her features soft and innocent. Sasuke felt that if he agreed to begin a relationship with Sakura out of pity, he would break her.

Sasuke imagined Sakura's face with a large irreparable crack down the middle, tears streaming down her sinless face, her hand forever stretching out to him, begging him to give the pronoun 'us' another chance.

_No._ _That's exactly what she would do. She would beg, and I'd give in, and then I'd hurt her some more, then she'd beg again. A vicious cycle, impossible to break._

Sakura was completely out of the question.

_Too fragile, not to mention I have no feelings for her whatsoever._

Sasuke needed someone more durable, but as of yet all girls his age he had come into contact with had turned to hormonal mush whenever he entered the room.

And if he _spoke_ to them, they stammered unintelligibly, until Sasuke lost interest and made an excuse to get away.

Or worse, they talked to him sociably, but about shallow and trivial things that Sasuke _really _didn't care about, like his favourite bands, food, magazines or _education_.

Sasuke _didn't_ like music, he _didn't_ care what went in his mouth, he _didn't_ care about celebrities and their lives that had no connection to his own, and he _certainly_ didn't want to be spoken to about education, which he had spent the last seven years of his life desperately trying to escape.

Sasuke was snapped out of his reverie by, unluckily for him, a familiar voice.

"Sasuke! Listen to this!" This exclamation from Sakura standing on his doorstep made Sasuke wonder if she was about to launch into a monologue about her devotion to him. He sincerely hoped he would be proved wrong.

_My heart is empty without you__.  
Sometimes you don't know what you do,  
And I need you tonight.  
I'll fall asleep and it's alright.  
Close my eyes and I'll be by your side._

Let's spend tonight on top of the world  
And we can do anything,  
We can be anything.  
I'll meet you tonight on top of the world.  
As real as it seems,  
You're only in my dreams. (2)

_So, it wasn't a speech. Instead it was an outtake from a song. If Sakura __**knew**__ me, she'd know I hate music._

Sakura looked up to the roof hopefully.

"I'm on top of my house, not the world."

"Then we'll go someplace higher. Please, Sasuke. Come down. We'll go out. You know how much I love you. _Please._"

"You're tenacious, I'll give you that."

"Is that a yes?" Sakura pressed, not giving up that easily. Then again, Sasuke hadn't expected her to; she'd been pursuing him for years now. Sakura knew no bounds, especially when it came to Sasuke.

"Sakura..."

"Yes?" Sakura jumped to reply, all too eagerly. Sasuke rolled his eyes. _Some things never change._

"That song...you don't really need me. You're-"

"Yes I do!"

_Oh god. Here we go. I wish she'd let me finish._

"I love you, you know I do! All I want is-"

Sakura was cut off by Sasuke this time: "For us to be together. I get it."

"If you get it, then come down here. I want to talk to you, face to face."

Sasuke allowed Sakura to see his face, but not in the way she requested. He stuck his head over the side of the flat roof which he had been sprawled on.

"I said face to face, not face to sky!" Sakura protested, her green eyes reflecting the late evening stars, making her look beautiful to nearly all but the one she desired most.

Sasuke looked down into her eyes, trying to see if any electricity would pass through them, one last attempt to see if he could ever care for her the way she wanted him to, the way he knew she would give all that was precious to her for.

The care that Sasuke didn't know, and could only imagine, using passages from various poems, sights of various couples in the street absorbed in a moment together, with no regard to what was going on around them.

Sasuke could only imagine.

...There was nothing.

No electricity.

_Keep looking, Sasuke._

No foreboding feeling in the pit of his stomach that he'd read about so many times, but had never felt in reality, or at least couldn't remember ever feeling.

_I'm sure there's someone out there for her. There must be plenty who like her in her class, or form, or whatever she's in now._

"I'm not coming down, Sakura. I've got stuff to do. Tell me what it was you wanted, and then go home. It's getting late."

That last comment, originally intended to make Sakura realise that she needed to leave, instead made her giddy with joy. _He must care about me if he said that. It means he doesn't want me to get hurt._

"I just wanted to say happy belated birthday, and that I'm not giving up. Goodnight, Sasuke."

As Sasuke rolled his eyes yet again, Sakura scooped up her boom box, and with one last wave, started to head home.

_I have to get rid of her. But...I can't bring myself to hurt her that badly. She __**was**__ my friend once._

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sasuke lay gazing up at the stars for a while longer, until he wasn't sure exactly how long a while it had been. Sasuke wondered whether he should go inside, and try to get some sleep. Or at least go and check the time.

The raven's quest came to fruition when he heard raucous laughter, and uneven footsteps heading vaguely in his direction.

_Pubs generally close at around twelve, and judging by the sounds of these people, they've just come from there._

Sasuke thought nothing of it, and continued his stargazing. He wasn't fazed by the hour. He was used to pulling all-nighters, and because of this habit he now found it increasingly difficult to sleep in a regular pattern. Sasuke didn't even bother going to bed until at least 2am anymore.

The next disruption happened later, when the group of youths whom Sasuke had overheard earlier were now on the corner of his street. They were making their goodbyes, and drifting off in different directions - their footsteps were dispersing.

Two people began to make their way down his street, and it appeared they were having a pretty tense conversation. Judging by the harsh tones the female voice was using, she disagreed strongly with whatever the male was muttering.

As they got closer, Sasuke caught the words: "Please?! I love you so much it hurts!"

Already, the raven was intrigued. He usually didn't bother with petty teenage woes such as these, especially with people that he didn't even know; but something in this girl's tone of voice told him that he should listen - if only to see how the male replied to such a desperate request; it could be vaguely entertaining, at the very least.

More than anything, Sasuke was hoping the male would reject the girl, just so he could see how normal teenage boys did it.

Sasuke had no expertise in this field, most girls who had shown interest in him were scared off by his overly studious manner, or the fact that he radiated a: 'Come Any Closer and I'll Kill You' vibe.

Not that Sasuke had much time to socialise with 'normal' people. He constantly busied himself, forever trying to reach his goal; his goal which he _knew_ in his heart of hearts was easily attainable if he just pushed himself that little bit more. . .

But now he had all the time in the world. Education was over and done with, and he certainly didn't feel like diving straight into a career. He had time to fulfil his mission. _I'll find them. Wherever they are, I'll find her, him . . . my soul mate._

"Please. You're making this difficult. Please, just forget about -" The male voice muttered; the male voice sounded vaguely familiar, which was strange, seeing as Sasuke didn't do much socialising, and he found it difficult to sympathise with people, therefore not gaining himself very many friends.

"But, I can't!" The girl interrupted, on the verge of tears. Sasuke was beginning to find her attitude annoying.

_Let him speak. You need to let him tell you __**why**__ you cannot be together, instead of interrupting. You'd get on well with Sakura._

"Without you...my life...it's meaningless!" The girl continued, a little less harshly, really meaning the rubbish that was overflowing from her mouth, most likely causing the male to feel even less inclined to be patient with her; at least, that's the distinction Sasuke would make. Although this situation was difficult to analyse, seeing as he didn't know these people first hand, therefore he didn't know how each would respond to different scenarios.

Sasuke made do with guessing.

"That's rubbish, Ino." The male had perfect inflection, not too caring, yet not too harsh, either. You could tell he really meant what he was saying - he _wanted_ the female to be happy, or maybe he _really_ did think that she would be better off without him. Sasuke couldn't see how - this guy seemed pretty decent.

"The only things you need are water, and food, and air. You _want_ me. There's a difference. No. Don't interrupt." The male continued, clearly cutting the female, Ino, off as she tried to interject.

"Let me finish. Forget about being with me. Now's not a good time. I don't want to hurt you. I'm . . . not right for you. Not now." Sasuke only just caught that last minor sentence; the male had said it with such a small voice. This intrigued the raven; he wondered what was troubling Ino's companion, who still remained nameless.

"We're perfect for each other!" Ino exploded, another bout of tears washing over her. She didn't understand. Why didn't he want her? Couldn't he see that _this_ was precisely what was hurting her? If he just accepted her . . . he would never hurt her. His heart was too pure. Ino believed that. He would **not** hurt her. Unless he continued with his rejection.

"Ino." The male said sadly. "I don't want to lose you as a friend. Please don't push me. We've been friends forever, and I really wish it would stay that way. I'm not ready for a relationship right now, not with _anyone._ Now is really not a good time." Again, Sasuke was curious at that last part. He frowned, trying to figure the male out.

Ino sniffed. It looked as if she had given up with her pursual. She seemed satisfied with the knowledge that it wasn't just _her_ he was rejecting, it was everyone. He didn't want to be in a relationship at the moment, not with her, not with anyone. So long as he wasn't rejecting her for someone else, Ino was happy.

Ino said something, but it was muffled with what Sasuke could only assume was an embrace. It had sounded like: "Oh, _something_."

_Probably the guy's name. _

_**Why**__ do I feel like I've heard his voice somewhere before? _

Sasuke frowned in concentration, trying to put a voice to a face, or a name. Any evidence that would solve the puzzle that had laid itself out in front of him in a matter of minutes, the most frustrating mind-bender ever.

Sasuke hated not knowing things. It made him feel inferior.

Sasuke listened intently, so hard that he could hear Ino's soft sobs, the breeze gently blowing in the background, cars far off in the distance, his own breathing was almost deafening he was so absorbed in opening up his hearing. Suddenly Ino's voice could be heard, drowning out everything else that Sasuke had been focussing on. He honed in on it, hoping she would repeat the male's name.

Sasuke was in luck.

"Oh, Naruto."

_Naruto?! As in, Naruto __**Uzumaki**__?!_

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Oh hoho!! XD

(Lol, not like you didn't see it coming. It was kind of obvious. :P)

This is SO much fun to write. Now I know how Kishi felt when he started writing shippuuden.

Older characters are SO much more fun. :)

(1) Being an insomniac has its good points. You get lots of work done, and people sometimes call me Gaara. ;)

(2) This song is excellent. XD It's 'On Top of the World' by 'Boys like Girls.'

Give it a listen. :)


	2. Chapter 2

Shout-outs to all you lovelies who reviewed/favourited/alerted, or whatever.

I LOVE YOU **ALL**, and I'm so sorry it's been so long.

* * *

_Could it be?_

_Could it really be Naruto Uzumaki?_

_No, there's no way._

_There must be other people around called Naruto._

_I'm sure it's not really him._

_But...what if?_

Sasuke's head was spinning. It was a good thing he was already firmly lying down or he and the roof would've had a little encounter. A painful encounter, where head would meet roof and most likely spend enough time together to get very well acquainted.

_This is ridiculous. There's no way that it's really Naruto Uzumaki. I haven't seen him in seven years, and all of a sudden he's practically on my doorstep? _

_No way. It's impossible._

"Ino," 'Naruto's' hushed voice could be heard from below. Had the voice really sounded familiar, or was it all in Sasuke's head? The more he thought about Naruto, the hair, the eyes, the _dress-sense_, the voice that meshed with all of the above, the more sure he was that it was really him standing down there, roughly four metres away.

"You should go home. It's getting late," 'Naruto' continued, clearly wanting to be rid of the girl now that the whole dilemma had, hopefully, been sorted out. Sasuke still considered the possibility that Ino would pester 'Naruto' again. _Not that I'll ever find out. I doubt that these two will stand __**right**__ outside my house again anytime soon. Unless..._

Sasuke wasn't sure whether he was daring enough to call out to the male below. What if it wasn't Naruto Uzumaki? Sasuke would upstage himself, and on his home turf to boot. _I could...look? See if it's really him down there, and if it is, I'll say something?_ Sasuke was unsure as to how to proceed with this whole situation. In the instruction manual for an Uchiha, 'unsure' was not a setting, so Sasuke was certain he would malfunction soon, or maybe wake up from this strange dream that he was having.

_One look can't hurt, I guess._

With this decided, Sasuke edged closer to the side of his roof, waiting for the tell-tale sign of Ino's departure - her heels clicking away down the street.

"See you at work?" Sasuke heard Ino inquire softly. She seemed to be on the verge of tears again. _This is it, she's about to leave._ He squirmed even closer to the edge, until he was just millimetres of peering over.

"Yeah. See you tomorrow," 'Naruto' said, and with that Ino departed - Sasuke heard the sound of retreating heels, and the soft crying that began fading with it. This was followed up by a clearly audible sigh from below. Sasuke could've sworn he heard Naruto-maybe-Uzumaki mutter: "Tch. Girls."

_Now._ Sasuke peeped curiously over the edge of his roof, hoping to steal a glance of the male's face as he departed. Instead his gaze was met with wide blue eyes, reflecting the light from the stars overhead. Those eyes were instantly recognisable. There was no doubt about it.

_This_ was Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

A face flashed before Sasuke's eyes, a smiling, infantile face, aged five - looking down at his fingers which were intertwined with Sasuke's own.

A face Sasuke had once known and acknowledged as a friend, even if said friend had been left behind long ago.

A face Sasuke used to be able to read like an open book, only the story that read wasn't necessarily a very happy one.

A face with such innocent features - especially the eyes. Those eyes could speak, even when the mouth was shut.

Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. _It's really him._

"...Sasuke?" Naruto, who, unmistakeably _was_ Naruto, asked, looking as confused as Sasuke felt. He certainly hadn't been expecting this.

"Naruto?" Sasuke replied, still in awe. He didn't know it was possible to stumble across old friends in this way. He had never seen this coming when he had lain down on his roof earlier that evening.

Naruto, who had clocked onto the situation quickly, decided to hide his shock with a test. He smirked as he said: "Long time no see! How are you?"

The gears in Naruto's mind whirred into action. _If this really __**is**__ Sasuke, I know exactly what he'll do. It's been seven years, and I bet he hasn't changed._

Sasuke had always abhorred small talk. He had to put an end to it immediately.

"I see you haven't changed," he muttered, referring to Naruto's 'pointless chatter'.

Naruto grinned, "You changed the subject. It really is you!"

"Hn."

"I knew it! So you didn't lose _that_ habit, either! You really _haven't_ changed!"

"I can say the same, moron."

"Shut up. Come down off of that roof, and take it like a man!" Naruto exclaimed, brandishing his fists - despite the huge grin spread across his features. Sasuke just cocked an eyebrow. He felt as if he was conversing with the Naruto of the past. At least Sasuke had increased his intelligence level. If anything, Naruto's was _worse_ than before.

"Speaking of which," Naruto had never actually _stopped_ talking the whole time Sasuke had been thinking, "that roof is a bit low for you, isn't it? You got vertigo?"

Sasuke winced internally at Naruto's grammar, or rather lack of, but that remembered that this was how it had always been, and told himself to lighten up. He stood, swaying a little at having been sprawled on the rooftop for so long, and then leapt down, landing gracefully in a crouched position with one hand on the ground for support.

"Show off," Naruto muttered bitterly, as Sasuke stood, meeting his gaze with a withering expression.

"It's a bungalow."

"Oh. That makes you slightly less cool."

"Shame."

Naruto began looking Sasuke up and down; Sasuke figured that he was comparing his current self to the Sasuke he remembered from seven years ago. The Sasuke that got left behind and taken away at the same time.

The two regarded each other silently, each taking in the other's appearance.

Naruto's first impression of Sasuke was that he looked tired - his eyes, which Naruto believed betrayed a lot about someone's character and lifestyle, looked dead, giving off a vibe which screamed: 'Leave me the hell alone.'

Naruto also noted that while Sasuke was definitely not out of shape, he didn't look too healthy at the same time. His slight form, which, stood next to Naruto looked as if a fierce wind might carry him away, and pale skin, hinted that Sasuke wasn't taking care of himself as well as he could be. This theory was enhanced by his hair, which was still unruly - refusing to flatten at the back, but now Sasuke's bangs were obstructing his face - if they grew any longer they would be in his eyes.

_What happened to you, Sasuke? Mikoto would tell you off for letting it get like this._

_Are you working too hard?_

_Are you all alone?_

* * *

Sasuke was analysing his old friend in exactly the same way:

He noticed Naruto's muscles - clearly he worked out, maybe to impress someone? _But he did tell that girl, Ino, to get lost. Maybe there's someone else, or maybe he just likes looking strong. Maybe it makes him feel that way, too._

Sasuke had hit the nail on the head with that last analysis.

He also noticed Naruto's laidback stance, his slightly dishevelled appearance._ Orange. Orange. Orange. Why orange? It's such an ugly colour._

Sasuke frowned at the offending orange hoodie, and then caught sight of something more interesting. A something which looked like a corporate vest, slung casually over Naruto's shoulder.

_So Naruto has a job, and he goes out with his friends after he gets off from said job. He probably only has that job if he has real need of it. Maybe he's strapped for cash._

_Is he all alone?_

Sasuke's ex-professor would be applauding manically by this point - Sasuke had come to two correct analyses (1), and he hadn't even come to the most important feature of a person. _Well, Sasuke? You'll have to look some time._ Sasuke's mind taunted him; he reassured himself that it was natural to be a little apprehensive about analysing someone who he hadn't seen for seven years, especially someone who he had had such a strong connection with, someone with which he had shared everything, the good and bad, and hadn't held back; someone who he had never wanted to leave, and never even dreamed of hurting.

_Do it, you coward._

Then and only then did Sasuke push through his apprehension, and venture to look at Naruto's face properly. His critical gaze took in every detail, missing nothing that he considered to be of any importance; that was why he had saved the face until last. The face is someone's tell-tale body part; the almost unnoticeable scratch on his left cheek, his eyelashes which were too thick for his own good, what looked like the barely visible remnants of a black eye, and that clear blue that was unforgettable.

_His eyes are just like I remember, albeit a little more mature. There are secrets hiding in those eyes - I'm sure of it. He looks pretty tired. He must be working hard, what with A Levels (2) __**and**__ a job._

Sasuke's analysis was, of course, spot on.

Naruto too, had provided himself with an accurate description of Sasuke's overworked life.

"Do you...want to come inside?" Sasuke's eyes zoomed out of Naruto's little details - the loose thread on the hem of his shirt, the small, hardly noticeable stain on his left jean leg. This time he just looked at him like everyone does everyday, so that Naruto could acknowledge that he was being spoken to, and Sasuke wasn't talking to himself whilst studying an insignificant thread.

Naruto laughed, rolling his eyes. "No, Sasuke," he said sardonically, "I would _not_ like to go inside your house, even though I haven't seen you for seven odd years, and may never see you again. Thanks, but no thanks."

"No need for sarcasm."

"Dream on, Sasuke," Naruto grinned at his old friend, and followed him inside his home. He wondered what he'd find there.

* * *

Naruto found himself over two hours later, sitting in his ex-best friend's living room, feeling completely at ease, like he and Sasuke had never even been apart. He never realised before how much he missed him. He remembered being devastated when the two were separated, but then his mind drew up blank after that. He just saw . . . nothing. Naruto wondered if that had been because he hadn't been able to concentrate on anything so soon after he and his best friend were split up, or just that nothing much had happened that was memorable in those couple of years following 'that day'. Naruto sincerely doubted that it was the latter; he could still faintly remember how empty he had felt when Sasuke had been ripped from his side.

To Sasuke's relief they had covered the whole: 'Wow, it's been such a long time' conversation fairly quickly, and then moved on to talk about things that actually mattered. Sasuke glanced at the small clock on the mantelpiece, surprised to see that it was nearly 4 am. Time had never flown by this quickly in a long time. As a matter of fact, the only times he could remember it happening were when he was with Naruto, many years ago.

Sasuke looked over at Naruto; it was no surprise to see that he had a large grin plastered all over his face, and that he wasn't showing the slightest signs of fatigue. Sasuke remembered that he and Naruto had been alike in that respect – he could see that it hadn't changed; Naruto was still as full of life as ever.

"This is so weird, when I woke up this morning . . . well, yesterday morning; the last thing that crossed my mind was that I might see you!"

"You're right, I never expected to bump into you like this all of a sudden," Sasuke said, slightly annoyed that the subject matter of the conversation had gone from normal, back to: 'Wow, it's been such a long time', especially seeing as they had already been through this, or at least things similar to it.

"Ino and I just came down this street by accident, I mean; we were just getting away from the others because she said she had something she wanted to ask me. . ."

"Or rather tell you," Sasuke muttered, still finding the exchange between Ino and Naruto frustrating, "she didn't let you get a word in edgeways."

"It's fine. I got my point across. That's all you really need to do with Ino; just tell it to her straight."

Sasuke frowned. Did that mean that not all girls responded to the same rejection technique? Then, Sasuke realised, as he thought about it further, that that _had_ to be the case, because _everything _that he said to Sakura just went over her head. Either she was an idiot, or she genuinely hadn't noticed that Sasuke didn't really like her in that way. _But then I haven't said anything to her that was too outright. I don't want to hurt someone who meant so much to me when I was younger, even if the feelings I have for her now are completely different to the way I felt for her back then. Back then she was a part of me, we understood each other, almost as well as Naruto and I. But then everything changed, and even though she seems determined to get us back to the way we were before, I don't feel – no, I __**know**__ that it's not possible._

"Sasuke? What are you frowning at? You haven't blinked in ages."

"Nothing. I was just . . . thinking." _Tch. Trust Naruto to notice something like that._

"Yeah, most people do."

"Well, apart from you, of course."

"Shut up."

"You asked for that one."

Naruto scowled good-naturedly, but really he didn't mind; he was just happy to be spending time with Sasuke. He decided to ignore the fact that he had to be at work in just over 3 hours, and struck up another conversation with his 'ex'-best friend – could he really call him that, anymore? It felt like they were already back the way they were before, and that their friendship could only get stronger from this point onwards. On the topic of whether or not he could call Sasuke his 'best friend' yet, Naruto was pretty sure that he couldn't. But he _was_ sure of one thing: _There's no way I'm letting him disappear this time._

* * *

I'm sorry it's short!

I had to upload _something_! It was really annoying. Half of this chapter has just been rotting away on my USB for months, and I just never had the time to finish it.

I got so pissed off that I decided I had to finish it to the best of my ability, and post it.

Don't worry, I have a plotline for this story all planned out, I'm not just making random stuff up.

(1) It's actually a word, as sceptical as I was when I first looked it up. :P

(2) Those are the big scary exams that we have at the end of year 13 in the UK. They're no picnic, or so I've been told. I've still got a little bit of time left before I have to encounter those. I'm only in year 11, but I am currently in the middle of my mock exams, which are a total joke. There is no point to them, as I've told several teachers on numerous occasions. And most of them say: "I know, Fiona," which honestly shocked me. I was expecting them to launch into a massive 'pro-mock' lecture, not agree with me. Teachers _never_ agree with me, unless I say: "God, I'm looking forward to the weekend."

Peace Out, Kitty Cats! :)

PS Sorry again for the really long wait!

I'll try my best, but I'm pretty sure that updates will be scarce. I promise that as soon as my exams are over, I'll sit down in front of my computer, and just **TYPE**, now that this story is my main priority.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello and welcome to chapter three of Filling the Void!

This chapter has served as some form of release for me – so in my attempts to keep my angsty mood from shining through into the chapter, (seeing as the story isn't scheduled for any angst...yet) I'll rise above and keep it light-hearted just for you guys. :3

* * *

Naruto rubbed his eyes for the sixth time in under a minute, yawning _yet_ again. Temari looked down at him with a frown – she didn't know why he was so shattered; generally he was an excellent bouncer-backer, remaining sober for an extremely long time, and definitely not showing any signs of fatigue the next morning; something which never failed to irk his friends. Well, not today. He was suffering the most this morning out of the group, and everyone decided that he deserved it for all the times he had rubbed his zeal in their faces when they felt like shit.

"Is the alcohol consumption finally getting to you?" Temari asked him as she jabbed him in the ribs with a hammer that was supposed to be being stacked by the blonde, who had given up and was slumped on the floor, clipboard and stock forgotten as his eyes drooped shut.

"It's about time," Tenten muttered as she wandered past the duo with a large box labelled 'FRAGILE - this way up' in her arms – she was holding it so that the writing was upside down. Temari cocked an eyebrow at the sight, then turned her attention back to Naruto. "You should-" Temari was interrupted.

"Shh," Naruto slurred from the floor. "Sleepin'." He slid so that his legs stretched out in front of him as much as possible, enough until he was completely on his back in the middle of the aisle. He rolled over onto his side, and promptly fell asleep.

Temari poked her near-comatose friend again with the hammer, before giving up and placing it on the shelf. She turned to Tenten's retreating back, running after her. Tenten dumped the box down on the ground, and Temari didn't fail to miss the sound of breaking objects inside it. She gave Tenten a glance that said: "Why the hell are you intentionally breaking the merchandise?!"

"A customer knocked the box over," Tenten replied to the unasked question. "It was pretty much all broken already. I'm not going to be careful with damaged goods." Tenten paused as she looked back down the aisle she had just come from at her unconscious friend. "And by the way, what is up with Naruto? He never feels the morning after!"

"Yeah, I know. It's weird, isn't it? Have you spoken to Ino this morning? When we split last night she went with Naruto – she said she 'needed to talk' with him. Any ideas how that went down? Maybe that would explain it..."

"Ask her yourself," Tenten gestured over Temari's shoulder at Ino, who was approaching wearing a scowl on her face.

"I swear to god, I _hate_ the general public," Temari caught Ino mutter as she stopped beside them. "What's up?" She asked, her mood seeming to brighten a little at seeing her two best friends.

"We were just talking about you," Temari sneered, leaning against the wall by the lift, her fingers subconsciously tracing the outline of the down button.

Ino was puzzled; she looked to Tenten for an explanation, who gladly supplied her with one: "She means your little 'talk' with Naruto last night. What happened?"

"I swear to god, he wasn't even drunk!" Temari muttered to herself, as she leaned past her two friends to look at Naruto yet again. He was like a baby brother to her, so of course she was concerned. She decided to blame Gaara for _that_.

If Gaara hadn't started work, then he wouldn't have met Naruto. If he hadn't met Naruto, he wouldn't have befriended him. If he hadn't befriended him, then Temari wouldn't have gotten attached. If Temari hadn't gotten attached, then she wouldn't be concerned about the blonde's welfare. But she was, meaning that she wasn't really concentrating on work-related things, such as the customer's needs. She had already pointed countless numbers of shoppers towards the wrong aisles, then realised her errors much too late – clearly she wasn't focussed.

She needed Shikamaru. She found that just having him around gave her some shreds of clarity in times of confusion. Shikamaru was good like that. He could do absolutely nothing (thus not expending any effort) and still manage to calm Temari down.

"He wasn't," Ino answered Temari (breaking her inner tangent), even though Tenten was the one who had asked her a question. Temari was just talking to herself. "Well, not when I was with him. Maybe he went somewhere afterwards..." She trailed off, wondering what on earth Naruto had gotten up to after she had left him.

"Enough of Naruto's hangover! What happened last night? Did you tell him how you feel?" Tenten exclaimed, clearly getting irritated. Ino's eyes snapped back to Tenten at her little outburst, her mind registering that, unlike Temari, who seemed to be in a daze, Tenten was curious to see whether Ino's venture the night before was successful.

"Yes, I did," Ino sniffed.

"And?" Tenten inquired, leaning in to hear the (what she suspected would be) good news. Temari registered that Ino was about to tell all, and listened intently. She _was_ interested. Ino was one of her best friends after all; she wanted her to be happy.

"Rejected."

"NO WAY!" Two female voices echoed loudly around the shop, as they failed to believe their ears.

"Way... But don't even worry about it," She added this hastily as she saw Tenten glaring viciously, clearly contemplating punching Naruto's lights out – she may or may not have noticed, but she had clenched fists. "He was really sweet about it. It's not that he doesn't want me – he's not ready for a relationship at the moment."

Tenten unclenched her fists with a: "Well, if you say so." She didn't sound terribly convinced.

"Come _on_, guys! It's _Naruto_! He wouldn't hurt a fly, so I sincerely doubt that there's someone else, or something. Besides, if he had a girlfriend, you know he would have said so by now, he's impossible. You know as well as I do that he can't keep things to himself." Ino smiled slightly as she said this, standing on her toes to look over Tenten's shoulder at Naruto. She frowned at the sight she saw, settling her feet back on the ground and wondering aloud: "Hey, where did he go?"

Tenten and Temari spun around, shocked to see that Naruto – and all of his to-be-stacked merchandise – had disappeared.

"He must have finished while we were gossiping."

"Or maybe he sensed that we were talking about him."

"I didn't hear him sneeze." (1)

The girls laughed, and began going their separate ways. Tenten smacked Temari's hand off the down button and hit it, vanishing into the lift a few moments later with the box, to dispose of it somehow. Ino returned to her least favourite job of all – working on the shop floor, where every few minutes some confused customer or another would come to her for assistance, and she would have to supply it with a smile, however rude said customer may be. Temari just wandered off towards the 'staff-only' door situated at the other end of the store; she was on her break.

* * *

Naruto sighed as he pushed open the door to the breakroom – he could now enjoy half an hour of blissful sleep catch-up. On a plastic chair. _Perhaps not blissful._

He inhaled deeply, and immediately regretted it. The smell that filled his nostrils was one of coffee – a scent that he had never been able to stand. Although... he wondered if now was maybe a good time to get some caffeine in his system, no matter how bad the taste. As he weighed up the pros and cons, he thought that he _would_ be relieved from his zombie-like state for a while, thus deciding that enduring the taste was worth it.

Naruto shuffled towards the coffee machine and seized a cup from the stack on its right hand side. He placed it on the grill, and was just about to hit a random button (he didn't know the difference between the many different types of coffee available) when the door crashed open, and Temari burst into the room. The blonde ignored his friend's entry, instead turning back to the coffee machine, sighing for the five hundredth time that morning as he watched the foul brown liquid begin to chug into his cup.

"I thought you hated coffee?!" Was the first thing Temari exclaimed; not a 'hey, how are you?' Just enquiries, about coffee of all things. Often Naruto found himself pondering his and his friends' sanity; so far he had only ever come up with a question mark.

"Caffeine," was all Naruto muttered before flopping into a chair by the window. Temari sat next to him, wrinkling her nose at the smell emanating from Naruto's cup. Far too strong for her tastes.

"Anyway," Temari said, tearing herself away from digressive thoughts, instead focussing on Naruto. "What is wrong with you? I know you; you are _not_ a morning-after kind of guy!"

Naruto breathed sharply out of his nose; clearly he found this remark amusing.

"What?" Temari asked indignantly.

"I'm not hungover."

"Well what then?! Ino told me about what happened between you and her last night; does it have something to do with that?"

Naruto thought about this for a moment, then said: "In a confusing and roundabout way, yes. It does."

Temari gave Naruto a: 'Carry on' look, glad she was finally getting some answers.

"I'm not hungover," Naruto repeated. "Just tired."

Temari frowned, not seeing the connection between this new information and Ino. Naruto didn't miss this, but decided that he wasn't really in the mood to talk. He leaned his head against the window, taking a sip of his coffee. Once it had entered his mouth, Naruto wished he hadn't bothered. He pulled a face – scrunching up his eyes, pursing his lips. Temari just smirked and motioned to swallow, which Naruto did, grudgingly. He cursed loudly as soon as his taste buds were relieved of such a burden. It was then that Naruto realised that he felt slightly more alert, deciding that this was a good sign. He took a large gulp and swallowed it straight away this time, not giving the liquid time to linger on his tongue. He noted that this was a much better approach, and quickly finished the rest of the drink, lobbing the polystyrene cup in the general direction of the bin.

Temari watched him with an amused expression on her face throughout this event, not understanding Naruto's vendetta. She broke the silence by asking Naruto if he was going to 'divulge any other information?'

Naruto just shook his head, leaning back in his chair, putting his feet up on the small table. Temari pushed them off, and asked him again, louder than before. Naruto sighed. Again.

"I'm not going to get any peace, am I?"

Temari looked like she was genuinely considering this question. But the answer was still: "Nope."

Naruto groaned, shutting his eyes and gesturing for Temari to go away. She stayed put, glaring until his curiosity got the better of him, and he peeked out of one eye. It was met with a sneer – Naruto quickly closed his eye again. This cycle continued for a few more minutes, until Naruto finally decided he had had enough. He stood, Temari scraping back her chair after him, hell-bent on following him around until she got some answers.

As soon as she realised where Naruto was headed, she screamed: "No fair!"

Naruto turned and looked her with an expression of innocence etched across his features. Temari looked harder, and saw a sneaky smirk trying to push its way to the surface. She glared.

"Going to the men's room is a cop out," She paused, thinking about what she had just said. "Actually, scratch men's room. Boy's room suits you _so_ much better."

"It doesn't matter what you call it, all I care about is the fact that you _can't_ follow me." With that, Naruto pushed open the door the men's, or boy's room, and went inside. Temari just stood outside, deciding that she'd ambush him when he made his reappearance.

As Temari was thinking that Naruto had been in the bathroom a little _too_ long, she glanced down at her watch. Her eyes widened as she realised that her break had ended ten minutes ago.

Naruto smirked, satisfied, as he heard Temari's string of curses through the door, and her fast retreating footsteps. He loved that he had longer breaks than she did.

* * *

Sasuke frowned as his phone made a very unattractive sound. As the unattractive sound got louder, Sasuke dragged the pillow over his head. As he realised this made no difference, he also realised that he was awake. As he realised that he was awake, he also realised that he probably wouldn't get back to sleep. Sasuke had excellent deductive skills.

He rolled over and reached out for his phone, which promptly shut up as soon as his fingers brushed against it. (2)

Mornings were so unfair.

Sasuke threw his phone on the floor, rolling over again. He started pushing himself off the mattress - getting his upper body out of bed before deciding that it really wasn't worth it. He slammed back down again, banging his head on the bedside table in the process. Sasuke Uchiha really _did_ hate mornings.

He opened his eyes slowly – up until then they had yet to see the stark morning sun – and promptly wished he hadn't. The effect was almost blinding. He glared hatefully at the window, kicking himself internally; he had forgotten to put the blind down before he went to bed the night before. Or rather, this morning. Naruto had left in the very early morning – they hadn't even noticed the time passing, and before they knew it, Naruto had to leave.

Sasuke's mind was so blurry; he couldn't remember _why_ Naruto had had to leave exactly. _Maybe he missed curfew?_ _I wonder how he got home._

The truth was that Naruto had never even _gone_ home. He had gone to the bus stop which took him straight to work, gotten on a bus, fallen asleep, missed his stop, gone back the way he came, and was late.

Sasuke yawned, stretching his arms above his head. He had enjoyed himself last night, surprisingly. He was glad that Naruto had managed to worm his way back into his life. He had missed him, he knew now. He pushed the covers back, leaving his bed unmade, and scooped his phone up from the floor. He scrolled through his phonebook, satisfied when he discovered that Naruto's number was there. So he hadn't imagined last night. Good.

He thought that he might text Naruto later, maybe ask him if he wanted to meet up. He chucked his phone onto his desk, and headed for the kitchen for something to eat. He assumed that it must be around noon – he _had_ been exhausted the night before. As he made his way down the hall, he noted that it was _freezing;_ he was going to need to crank up the thermostat. He got to the bottom of the stairs, catching sight of the small clock on the table. It read 7:36. Sasuke turned around and went straight back upstairs without another thought.

* * *

(1) You know that thing about how if you sneeze, it means someone's talking about you?

(2) Yeah, this happens to me every single morning.

So yeah, this chapter was pretty pointless. Fun to write, but pointless. Oh well. Maybe some of you will guess where Naruto works, and maybe some of you will feel sorry for Sasuke? (I am exactly the same in the mornings. Feel sorry for me, too! :3)

Peace Out, Kitty Cats! :)


End file.
